A Book Recommendation
Feb. 16th, 2009 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
laliandraThis was meant to be recommendations for at least 2 books, but I got rather into just this one. More at a later date, I promise!
Well, everyone was so very nice and recommended books to me, and really, books are my main area of expertise, so here we are
Everyone in the world should read
1. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
What is it? Well, it’s a sort of steampunk fantasy. Imagine Victorian London, only with a descendents of demons roaming about the place, and Priests as Police, the Captains of the Inquisition. Includes some Thrilling Heroics, a Terrible Crime, Hot Gay Romance and Men in Uniform. It’s also a lot less cheesy than I’ve just made it sound!
So, men in uniform you say?
The second book belongs to Captain William Harper, a priest in the service of the Inquisition (yes, you are right to be thinking Spanish style torture and fundamentalism. Not Monty Python), and is a more shadowed, nuanced third person affair, as befits his character. I loved Harper, even though I really shouldn’t. He’s repressed, secretive and hopelessly stubborn. But, well, I love his stubbornness. I loved how he never gave up on anyone, how he understood people and how he didn’t judge.
The Plot: William Harper’s sister has disappeared, in mysterious and rather dubious circumstances, so he hires Bellamai Sykes, rather more accustomed to the more dubious side of life, to help him find her. And that’s where the trouble really starts.
Why you might not want to read this book (you’d be mad, but I’m getting it out of the way)
Weeell, The Church (non specific btw) doesn’t come off great in this…
There is some man on man action, well man on demon…
Although it is focussed on a crime, this is not really a whodunit. More, we know whodunit, can we stop them getting away with it…
It’s, um, a bit short? There is an epilogue that, while excellent, I would have much rather have been several chapters more instead. I’d rather see everything get resolved than just hear that it had been.
Why you really, really should.
Did I mention the man on man action? Not super graphic but super, super sexy.
The way Ginn Hale writes. My god, that woman can do descriptive prose. Every time she started with “the night” I thought, ok, dazzle me again with your take on it, and she did, every time. Her writing is beautiful, effortlessly so. I don’t think there’s a word out of place. I weep with envy. But it is also real and very vivid in a ‘smell the shit and hear the screams’ kind of way. Which is a tricky combination to pull off.
The relationship between the two central characters. It is exactly the sort of relationship I love to see portrayed, and the sort that all too often isn’t. Both of our central characters are seriously damaged by their situations and their pasts. Neither of them are exactly the nicest or the easiest of people. I find that interesting and frankly quite refreshing, because, that’s what makes them so good together, they understand the other one because they know what it’s like to be damaged. I like to see relationships where people recognise that the other person has imperfections, and loves them, imperfect bits and all. When two people’s flaws complement each other, but also when they help each other turn parts that are broken into just flaws. Harper and Bellimai fulfil this and then some.
There’s also some seriously cool world building which, again, Ginn Hale makes seem easy and effortless. You get a handle on the society and its values really easily, and then there’s just loads of interesting and absorbing details about rooms and streets and clothes.
Essentially, its smart, its funny and its fascinating. If you’re looking for some characters to really get involved with, this is the book for you… There is so much dross out there people, we need to support the good books!
Go here to see order or read the first chapter, or both. Then read it. Then come back and I can rec some fanfic!
Well, everyone was so very nice and recommended books to me, and really, books are my main area of expertise, so here we are
Everyone in the world should read
1. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
What is it? Well, it’s a sort of steampunk fantasy. Imagine Victorian London, only with a descendents of demons roaming about the place, and Priests as Police, the Captains of the Inquisition. Includes some Thrilling Heroics, a Terrible Crime, Hot Gay Romance and Men in Uniform. It’s also a lot less cheesy than I’ve just made it sound!
So, men in uniform you say?
The second book belongs to Captain William Harper, a priest in the service of the Inquisition (yes, you are right to be thinking Spanish style torture and fundamentalism. Not Monty Python), and is a more shadowed, nuanced third person affair, as befits his character. I loved Harper, even though I really shouldn’t. He’s repressed, secretive and hopelessly stubborn. But, well, I love his stubbornness. I loved how he never gave up on anyone, how he understood people and how he didn’t judge.
The Plot: William Harper’s sister has disappeared, in mysterious and rather dubious circumstances, so he hires Bellamai Sykes, rather more accustomed to the more dubious side of life, to help him find her. And that’s where the trouble really starts.
Why you might not want to read this book (you’d be mad, but I’m getting it out of the way)
Weeell, The Church (non specific btw) doesn’t come off great in this…
There is some man on man action, well man on demon…
Although it is focussed on a crime, this is not really a whodunit. More, we know whodunit, can we stop them getting away with it…
It’s, um, a bit short? There is an epilogue that, while excellent, I would have much rather have been several chapters more instead. I’d rather see everything get resolved than just hear that it had been.
Why you really, really should.
Did I mention the man on man action? Not super graphic but super, super sexy.
The way Ginn Hale writes. My god, that woman can do descriptive prose. Every time she started with “the night” I thought, ok, dazzle me again with your take on it, and she did, every time. Her writing is beautiful, effortlessly so. I don’t think there’s a word out of place. I weep with envy. But it is also real and very vivid in a ‘smell the shit and hear the screams’ kind of way. Which is a tricky combination to pull off.
The relationship between the two central characters. It is exactly the sort of relationship I love to see portrayed, and the sort that all too often isn’t. Both of our central characters are seriously damaged by their situations and their pasts. Neither of them are exactly the nicest or the easiest of people. I find that interesting and frankly quite refreshing, because, that’s what makes them so good together, they understand the other one because they know what it’s like to be damaged. I like to see relationships where people recognise that the other person has imperfections, and loves them, imperfect bits and all. When two people’s flaws complement each other, but also when they help each other turn parts that are broken into just flaws. Harper and Bellimai fulfil this and then some.
There’s also some seriously cool world building which, again, Ginn Hale makes seem easy and effortless. You get a handle on the society and its values really easily, and then there’s just loads of interesting and absorbing details about rooms and streets and clothes.
Essentially, its smart, its funny and its fascinating. If you’re looking for some characters to really get involved with, this is the book for you… There is so much dross out there people, we need to support the good books!
Go here to see order or read the first chapter, or both. Then read it. Then come back and I can rec some fanfic!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-02-16 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-16 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-16 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 06:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-01 11:34 pm (UTC)Okays. I ADORE Belmai. I'm always talking about gorgeous damaged goodies and HE is the archetype 4 this. He is utterly damaged even for a Demon. AND demons they're totes not purely ev0L. They act liek a diff race so it's moar liek our morality is moot and hao bad or good they actually are matters less than. Desire? and the totes success of the expression of the individual. I dunno. It's liek they're totes dignified race even thou they live in teh gutter and then what they moast want to be is FREE and all that curtails their freedom is bad and all that incites freedom is good. Which is why drugs are BAD cause they're the tool of THE MAN. *rageagainsthemachine*
The language? when I started I was expecting to be all ANNOYEDNESS but w0ah. There was this freshness to the language that was super cool. Cause it wasn't purple prose. It was too gritty BUT! not sparse. There was something Clockworky about it. About the intensity of the language. I dunno what, but yeah.
ALSO? Could you PLS to be posting this in teh comm? It's too SUPER EXCELLENT to hide away liek this.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-02 12:24 am (UTC)I LOVE your thoughts about the Demons and the society, so true.
Oh the language, it never gets annoying or overdone or cloying, its just there, creating pitch-perfect pictures (yay alliteration!) in your mind.
Really? Ok, cool, I will.
ALSO, did you see?! I TOTES WON AN ARC from mistful!!!!!!!!!!!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-02 12:30 am (UTC)omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*HANDSYOUFLOWERSANDFRUITBASKETFULLOFGUMMYFRUIT*
:)))))))))))))))))))
i think she might have read it aloud befoar she handed in teh last draft. I liek to read books aloud somtiems as rereads and it was soooooooooooo flowy and easy to read. :)))))) Certain people are just PERFECTO to read aloud. Liek Maya. I'd read her fics to friends and family and it was supaeasy too, thou v. different.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-02 12:49 am (UTC)Thank you for the gummy fruit!
Posted!
There's the first 11 chapters of DDG read aloud at
no subject
Date: 2009-03-02 12:30 am (UTC)Just finished this book
Date: 2012-11-06 05:11 am (UTC)